


He Stood for Me

by Master_Magician



Category: The Evil Within (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-02
Updated: 2014-12-13
Packaged: 2018-02-23 14:42:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2551331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Master_Magician/pseuds/Master_Magician
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kidman remembers the times Sebastian stepped up to the plate for her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My contribution to the slowly growing fandom that is The Evil Within. And why is there hardly any stories with Kidman (at the time of this writing)? It's almost all Sebastian/Ruvik or Sebastian/Joseph stories. Come on people, variety would be nice. Well if I must contribute to the cause then I shall wholeheartedly. 
> 
> Could be seen as possibly Sebastian/Kidman. 
> 
> Some creative liberties must also be taken since none of us know the whole story of what happened and due to the ambiguity of Kidman's character.
> 
> The story begins just before Sebastian wakes up beside Kidman at the end of the game. 
> 
> Enjoy.

Kidman knew that life was by its very nature unfair. People often did not get what they deserved, good or bad. Sometimes bad things happened to people who should have had the opposite. 

Especially this man. 

Sebastian Castellanos, her partner and fellow detective in the Krimson City Police Department. The man was more than just her partner.  
People constantly buzzed around her but Kidman barely noticed, she was focused on Sebastian. If anyone were to ask she would have said that she was keeping watch on his vitals. This was only a half truth however. She was watching his vitals yes, but she was also watching him too. 

His vitals were a little off but considering what he had been going through this was no surprise. Were he a lesser man they would likely been spiking off the charts. Sebastian was not a lesser man though, Kidman had seen that even when she met him. 

She had been placed in the KCPD as a rookie detective. Kidman had played the part perfectly except she did not realize some of the things that followed this. The main things was her partners, Sebastian and Joseph Oda. At first Sebastian had regarded her as just some rookie he was saddled with training while Joseph was the other way around, he regarded her as a friend and looked out for her despite the fact this was completely unnecessary, he did not know that though. 

After a time Sebastian grew a bit... warmer towards her. He stopped viewing her as a burden and more like a valued partner alongside Joseph. He was still a little tough on her but Kidman could see that for what it really was. To the best of his knowledge she was just a rookie, someone who needed to be shown the ropes. His attitude toward her was not out of spite, malice, or anything of the sort. It was actually his way of toughening her up. As with Joseph it was unnecessary but Sebastian did not know that. This was actually one of the things that first drew her to Sebastian.

For some reason Sebastian had a nasty protective streak in him toward his partners. Perhaps it was what happened to his daughter and wife but hell hath no fury like a provoked Sebastian. 

Despite being a shut in to almost everyone around him, despite being an alcoholic, the man was a damn fine detective. He was also one of the few genuinely good men she had ever met. He always did the right thing, no matter what pain it would cause him. 

He put up one hell of a front, shutting people out and having tunnel vision toward his work but Kidman could see him for what he was.  
A broken man who had lost everything he held dear. 

In truth his partners, especially Joseph and by extension her, were probably the only thing he had left. Kidman had wondered on more than one occasion what lengths he would go for her or Joseph. 

She did indeed find out what those lengths were later.

Kidman could not help but remember one of the first times he stepped up for her in Ruvik's nightmare world... 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Kidman had known going into this what she would be up against but even then she had been unprepared for what she would be facing. The sheer brutality and madness of that world was not something anyone could have been prepared for. 

Kidman was not even sure how she had gotten herself into this situation. All she knew was that this was bad, in fact she was likely not going to survive it without help. 

The freezing water at her shins brought her attention back to the source of her predicament. 

She was trapped in a small glass cell wrapped in barbed wire. It was completely sealed off except for a hole in the ceiling connected to a pipe. Said pipe was currently pouring freezing cold water into the box. If it were to fill up... she had nowhere to go. The water level was already at her waist and rising quickly. 

She was going to drown. 

For what felt like the thousandth time she beat her fists and boots against the glass but it did not even seem to scratch it. 

Kidman slammed her palms against the glass one final time before she let her head droop, her forehead pressed to the glass. Kidman was not one who wanted to rely on another person, she was not some damsel to be rescued. Yet here she was, she was going to die here alone in this cell and no one would even... 

"Kidman!" 

The yell made the young woman's gaze shoot up to the higher level of the room to a sight she would never have expected to see again. 

It was Sebastian and Joseph. 

Both men were seemingly alright but most important they were alive and human. She might stand a chance now, she could get out of this. 

Kidman was smiling before she could even consider stopping herself. 

"Get me out of this thing!"

Sebastian was already heading for the ramp leading down when Joseph stopped him. "Wait a minute, It's another trap. Look..."

Kidman followed his gaze behind her. Her eyes went wide as she saw what was behind her. There were over a dozen of the haunted lumbering around her prison. How the hell did she miss them and where did they come from?

"It's much more elaborately..." Joseph was cut off mid-sentence when one of the haunted tackled him from behind. Man and creature both went tumbling over the railing to the same level as her below. They landed on top of a table with the haunted breaking Joseph's fall. He shoved the seemingly dead haunted off of him before rising back to his feet. 

"Joseph you alright?" Sebastian was yelling from the broken railing above.

"Yeah, I'm alright, think you better get down here..." Every haunted in the room had turned toward the young detective the moment he hit the floor. They were already converging on him like a pack of wolves with cornered prey. 

"Hold on, I'm coming!" Sebastian was already moving to the broken flooring leading down. 

Next thing Kidman knew a small metallic object shot down from the upper level hitting one of the haunted in the chest. The creature was staggered by the hit but it only slowed it. Just then the device started beeping. 

Joseph seemed to know what it was because his eyes went wide as he turned around and dove behind a fallen pillar behind him. 

Seconds later whatever it was exploded tearing apart many of the haunted and blowing the rest off their feet. 

A grunt from the other side of the room snatched the female detective's attention.

When she turned she saw Sebastian running down the crumbled section of the upper level that formed a convenient ramp to the base level. He was sprinting at full speed, without even breaking stride he brought the shotgun her was carrying up and cracked it right across the face of the first haunted to appear in front of him. With his momentum boosting the force of the blow, the impact knocked the haunted off its feet to slam into the ground head first. 

Sebastian spun around and lifted his shotgun up to block an overhead hatchet chop by another haunted. He then kicked out with his foot hitting the haunted in the stomach hard enough to knock it back. Without hesitation Sebastian fired the shotgun almost point blank into its head making it explode. 

Still trapped in the filling cell Kidman could only watch her partners fight the horde of haunted surrounding them. The haunted were relentless but the two men showed no signs of slowing. Even when they both seemed to run out of ammo. Sebastian just pulled out his revolver before tossing another hatchet over to Joseph. 

The glass chamber was being filled fast. It was already enough that her feet could not touch the bottom. She had to keep herself swimming up to the surface to keep her head above the water. 

Even when more haunted appeared in the upper level, some with guns and some even with dynamite of all things, Sebastian and Joseph did not relent for a moment. Kidman knew her partners were tough but this seemed to be something else. The pair shrugged off whatever hits the haunted dealt and fought on. 

After what felt like hours of combat to Kidman the creatures finally stopped coming. "Is... Is that it?" Joseph was scanning the whole room with great focus. There was nothing to see however, all of the haunted seemed to be either dead or just gone. 

Sebastian and Joseph were instantly running over to the glass cell trying to figure out a way to open it. First they tried to break it open, Sebastian even tried shooting it, neither worked. 

Joseph was roving his eyes over the lock keeping the glass cage shut but he did not seem to be having much luck. "I can't get the thing open."  
Kidman was barely paying attention to what Joseph was saying when he pointed to the pipes of flowing water. She was too distracted by the fact that they were here for her. Here they were trapped in what was practically hell itself and they were fighting to save her life. 

They did not even know her that well Kidman realized. She was always quiet and kept to herself, never letting anyone close for fear of exposing who she really was. Despite that they fought for her, she was still their partner. 

"Where do these cables go?" Joseph was pointing to the pipes pumping the water into the cell. They seemed to lead off to the side and out of the giant room they were in. 

Joseph was already moving to follow them when Sebastian stopped him with an arm on his shoulder. "I'll go, tell me what to do." 

Sebastian was immediately sprinting out of the room following the pipes. Kidman watched him leave still in disbelief that he was trying so hard to save her. 

Joseph was now searching the room for anything they could use. From what she could see in the cell he at least found some more ammunition for his pistol. Kidman found herself really wishing she still had her own gun. 

Time continued to pass and the water was still rising. She could still hear the occasional gunshot but she was starting to get worried. What if he got himself killed trying to save her? The thought brought a feeling of dread to the pit of her stomach.

These two did not even know her real purpose for being here. To them she was just their rookie partner that needed saving. This left Kidman feeling more than a little guilty. 

She truly wished she could explain to them what was happening but she had no clue how to even bring it up. Kidman did not know if they would even be able to understand, it was certainly something nothing either man had ever encountered before. 

Perhaps if she could get them both somewhere safe, or at least temporarily safe, she could at least try to explain things. She was sure Joseph at least would make an effort to understand, but Sebastian would be another matter. The senior detective Kidman had noticed was doubting her being just a rookie. His job was attention to detail in things like that so of course he would eventually see through her deception. 

Kidman's entire body was now freezing. The water soaked through her clothes, its chill cutting to the bone. At this rate she was going to die of something other than drowning, she was going to freeze to death. 

Outside her prison Joseph was beating on the glass again. She could hear him saying something quietly Kidman could not hear the words. What the hell was this thing made of anyway? 

She only had a few moments of air left before it filled completely. 

Joseph had taken to repeatedly striking the glass when the worst-case scenario happened. 

The glass cell became completely filled. 

The Asian detective was hitting the glass as hard as he possibly could while Kidman just floated in the middle. She had managed to take one last large lungful of air before she lost the ability but it did not matter anymore. 

There was no way out now.

The worst part was that Sebastian likely got himself killed trying to find a way to stop the water flow. 

A gunshot from the upper level caught the attention of both Kidman and Joseph. 

When Kidman looked up she could not believe her eyes. Sebastian ran into view wheeling around to fire several shots from his revolver before turning around again. He was sprinting toward some dials she had not seen earlier. 

The senior detective had almost reached it when what he was running from came into view. There were three of the haunted coming at him. They managed to grab him a second before he reached the panel. He was instantly kicking and flailing trying to dislodge their grip as they tried to drag him back. 

Joseph was aiming his gun at the upper level but there was no way for him to get a shot. The four of them were moving around far too much for a clear shot, the risk of hitting Sebastian was too great. 

Kidman could already feel her lungs burning from lack of air. She was running out of time fast. 

Sebastian had managed to shove one off and was now practically dragging the other two to get close to the lever. With a great heave he threw a second back into the first sending both haunted back to the floor in a tangled heap. 

With one arm now free he finally reached the panel. 

"Set the upper dial to twenty-two and the bottom dial to five!" Joseph yelled to Sebastian as the veteran detective was following the directions as fast as he could. 

Within seconds the glass cell fell open and Kidman tumbled out. Joseph had tried to catch her but she fell to quickly to the floor. He was however right there to help her to her feet. 

"Are you alright?" Joseph helped lifted her up off the wet ground. 

The female detective coughed repeatedly as she drew in huge lungful of oxygen. Never before had she been so glad to have air. 

If Sebastian had not...

Sebastian!

Kidman did not say a word, instead she was more focused on if Sebastian was alright. When she looked up it was just in time to see one of the haunted falling off the upper level having been set aflame. There was Sebastian at the top looking down over them. He was alright. 

Kidman was moments from opening her mouth to call out to him when the floor began lighting up. It slowly formed into a grid like pattern before it suddenly collapsed out from beneath them, sending them tumbling into a black abyss. 

After several moments of falling Kidman felt her body hit somewhat solid ground hard. She let out a soft gasp upon impact. Joseph landed beside her only a few feet away. He let out a groan as he slowly clambered to his feet. 

As she stood up the first thing Kidman noticed was the smell. The room they landed in smelled like decay and death. It appeared to be a sewer of some kind, the smell was coming from the several rotting corpses scattered throughout the chamber. 

At least Sebastian would be able to catch up fairly quickly. If he did what she thought he would do then he was already about to jump down after them. 

"Kidman get down!" Joseph yelled pointing his gun at her. 

She did not hesitate to drop to the floor. 

Just in time for Joseph to take a shot at what was behind her. Kidman heard the thump of something heavy hitting the wall behind her. When she turned, Kidman saw that one of the haunted had crawled its way up from the floor. 

The worst part was that it was not alone. Several more were coming up from the floor. 

Joseph grabbed her arm, gently but firmly, and pulled her toward a crack in the corner of the room. He pushed her to climb through first as she wheeled around to fire several shots. 

Kidman understood, there were too many to fight. They would have to flee and hope Sebastian caught up later. She had to go through first because she still had no weapon. 

As fast as she could, Kidman pulled her way through the gap. It was tight but she did it. 

After firing one last shot behind him, Joseph followed right behind her. 

The pair of detectives were soon taking off down the sewer tunnel. The crack they crawled through would slow the haunted down but Kidman highly doubted it would stop them. 

Kidman was not so worried for Sebastian. He had more weapons and ammunition than the two of them did. If he followed them into that room then he could make short work of the haunted before following them. 

At least that was what she hoped. 

It was not long before Kidman and Joseph were stopped dead in their tracks by a large metal gate. Off to the side was a small jail cell like door. 

Both were locked. 

Joseph cursed as they heard the growls behind them. 

Without hesitation Joseph pushed Kidman behind him and took aim at the passage they entered through. 

The first haunted that came through was met with a bullet right to its half missing face. Several more followed the first. Joseph's bullets were not stopping them though, they were only being slowed. 

The duo backed up slowly as the pack of haunted advanced. As Joseph fired Kidman tried the door again but it still did not budge. 

They were cornered with no escape.

Kidman still had no weapon but Joseph planted himself firmly between the haunted and Kidman, they were going to have to kill him first before they even got close to her. 

Just then a small metallic cylinder flew into the room. 

Joseph shoved Kidman off to the side a second before the object exploded. The horde of haunted along with Joseph was blown off their feet to the floor. Kidman only barely managed to dodge the blast when she was pushed. 

"Sebastian!" As she moved back to her knees Kidman looked up in time to see Sebastian come tearing into the room. The first haunted that moved in front of him was slugged hard to the jaw, the bone breaking on impact. While it stumbled back from the force of the blow Sebastian drew a knife driving it straight into its eye socket. 

With a snarl, he tore the weapon free before snatching a glass bottle from the floor. The next haunted was hit by a point blank shotgun blast to the chest. A third was on the receiving end of a glass bottle to the face. 

By the time Joseph had retained his footing Sebastian had already tore the room apart. He had blew in with all the fury of a hurricane and meteor all rolled into one. 

With shotgun in hand he was still scanning the room for hostiles. When he found none he rushed over to his partners. "Are you guys alright?"

"We're alright," Joseph was the first to respond.

"Just a few bumps, we're fine." Kidman spoke next as she moved over to the door. Joseph was at the other larger door, likely searching for a way to open it. 

Kidman put a hand on the wall taking a deep breath. That was another very close call, if he had not arrived when he did Sebastian would have found both of them already dead. It would not have been a pleasant end. 

Kidman again found herself feeling the guilt. Sebastian and Joseph should not have been pulled into this. It was not right, they deserved better. 

She was so distracted that she did not notice Sebastian approaching her until he was right beside her. The words were coming out of her mouth before she could stop them. "If you hadn't come along..." 

Sebastian did not say anything, instead he just put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed softly. The gesture itself meant more than any words.  
They were safe... or at least somewhat safe. Maybe this would be her best chance to talk to them. At least get them up to speed on what they were up against. At the very least it would boost their chances of survival, it was better than groping around in the dark like they had been. 

Kidman was about to open her mouth to speak when Joseph spoke up first. "It looks like the door's locked from the other side."

Sebastian was moving over to his male partner now. Kidman thought about it again, it was not exactly safe here, they were still trapped. She could be patient a little longer. 

"Sebastian, maybe we could lift this enough for Kidman to go under and open it from the other side?" Joseph was motioning toward the much larger door. The two men might be able to lift it just enough for her to crawl under, she was the thinnest one of the three of them after all. 

Sebastian did not seem to like the idea. He seemed against sending her into unknown danger, at least that was what Kidman thought. 

Kidman just gave him a nod making Sebastian relent. 

"We're counting on you," the tone in Sebastian's voice made Kidman's stomach do a back flip. He did not sound like he was telling her she better not fail, instead it was like he had faith in her. He sounded like he was truly depending on her. The irony of the fact that it was she who was depending on them, especially in her weaponless state, was not lost on the woman. 

Kidman was so afraid of her voice betraying her that she could only reply with a simple "Alright."

He moved into position at the door alongside Joseph. Together, they began to lift. As soon as it was high enough for her to fit through, Kidman moved to pass under it . She was through within seconds but the thought of a giant metal door being held up above her by her partners was not a reassuring one. 

After Kidman got passed safely through Sebastian and Joseph let the door drop with a heavy thud. Meanwhile Kidman was moving around to the smaller door and began to unlock it. It was not long before it was open. 

"We should go," Kidman motioned them through the door. Once through the trio began moving down the long, dark hallway. Something about it was sending a chill down Kidman's spine though. 

They did not make three steps before Sebastian struck up a conversation. "I'm glad you're both alright."

His words and tone again struck a chord in Kidman. He sounded so relieved that she and Joseph were safe, like the mystery of their fates was tearing him apart inside while they were apart. Which from what she knew of Sebastian was not far from the truth. The man would stare the devil himself down to save his partners. 

The guilt was rising up yet again in Kidman, she needed to come clean to these two. They deserved that at least. 

"It's odd though. Why would they catch you instead of just killing you?" Joseph was pondering from behind Kidman and Sebastian. 

"Maybe he didn't see me as a threat..." the words tumbled from Kidman's mouth before she could stop them. It was a second later that she saw her error. She had said too much. Time to finally come clean. 

"He?" Sebastian was first to speak up. 

Before Kidman could elaborate further Sebastian and Joseph both groaned out in pain clutching their heads. 

Kidman was about to move over to Sebastian to see if he was alright but something below her grabbed at her ankles. Kidman did not even have time to scream as she was pulled down into the ground.


	2. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trapped, Kidman thought it was all over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally only going to be a single chapter story. Did not help that not many seemed interested at all. However thanks to a glowing review from Beckon, a little inspiration, dashed with a desire to see a bit more variety of Evil Within stories, and you get this. 
> 
> Each chapter will be a point in the game where Sebastian interacted with Kidman within the STEM world, such as in the first chapter and then this one in Chapter 11: Reunion. Some may be longer than others. Some also have some extended scenes, but everything involving Sebastian is taken directly from the game, especially dialogue.
> 
> To all of you who wanted more Kidman stories: wish granted. 
> 
> Enjoy.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Kidman growled under her breath as she urged her tired body on faster, on harder. A whole horde of haunted were right behind her. Far too many to fight, even if the bastards were not so hard to put down permanently. 

To make matters worse, her shoulder wound was slowing her down slightly. Kidman could only push the pain aside so much. Pushing her body to its physical limits, just to keep up with the creatures of this world and survive, did not help matters at all. 

Kidman refused to give up, she had a job to do here and she was going to do it. 

No matter what. 

Turning a corner Kidman ran face first into a solid wall of muscle. For a fraction of a second Kidman wondered who she ran into. 

That was until she noticed the glowing blue eyes.

Kidman had just enough time to scream before strong, inhuman hands were wrapped around her throat. The haunted shoved her to the floor, Kidman's head hitting the concrete hard enough to make her see stars. 

The creature's second hand latched onto the wrist of the hand she held her gun with pinning it to the floor. As the haunted began choking the life out of her with the other, Kidman's spare hand blindly fumbled around for something to use as a weapon. 

Kidman was already seeing black spots when her hand felt a shard of glass. Taking the sharp piece of broken glass in hand, she plunged it into the left eye socket of the haunted pinning her down. The attack did not kill it but instead distracted it long enough for Kidman to squirm from its grip. Lifting her leg, she planted a heavy kick to its stomach. Not a strong enough hit to really do much damage but it did shove it off her. 

Scrambling to her feet, Kidman landed another kick to its face when it tried to get back off the floor to knock it back down. 

The sudden chorus of growls behind her reminded her just how close the haunted were. 

Resuming her flight, Kidman quickly found herself in a large room with a crossroads. To the left there was a large set of closed double doors. To the right was a partially open door leading outside to what looked like some kind of balcony. She only had time to try one direction, either the double doors or the balcony. If the double doors were locked she would be cornered, but if the balcony was a dead end she would be trapped outside with only a single measly door to keep the haunted from her.

The risk of the double doors was too great, Kidman made a dash for the door. 

Kidman fired two shots over her shoulder while she was a few steps away from the door, then fired a third as her hand shoved the thing open. Her bullet hit the leading haunted in the kneecap taking its leg out from under it. The monster fell forward flat on its face, making several of the others behind it also trip and fall. This bought Kidman enough time to rush through the door and close it behind her.

Once outside she realized her error. Just as she feared the balcony was a dead end, there was no way foreword baring a couple story drop into the flooded streets below. 

A flash of movement from down the street caught her eye. She could have sworn she saw a person over there, except this person was not moving with the animal like motions of a haunted. 

A part of Kidman, a very tiny part, hoped beyond hope who she saw was Sebastian. Were he there, she would stand a chance. No, if Sebastian were there she would not just stand a chance, her survival would be assured. He would get her out of this, Joseph would too, but not like Sebastian. The older detective would punch Ruvik himself in the face to bail her or Joseph out of trouble. 

As she had run through the door, Kidman threw her back against the barrier to hold it shut. She could feel the haunted railing against the other side but they were unable to push it open. To her left and right several of the haunted were reaching their arms through the broken glass windows to try to reach toward and grab her. Thankfully they were all out of reach not matter how far they stretched.

Since some of them had their heads poking out the holes in the shattered windows, Kidman contemplated trying to take shots at them but that idea was quickly put down. She had to use two hands to hold the door shut so she could not take aim at the things. 

The damn things had her completely trapped. There was no way to hold the door shut forever, eventually they were going to overpower her and breach the door. 

Kidman swallowed hard as she evaluated her options. Waiting was already out the window, the haunted were just too strong to be stopped by a simple door. Flight was equally imposable, she had nowhere to go. 

She looked over at the railing to the drop below. 

It was not a pleasant option but... when the haunted broke through the door they were likely going to literally rip her to pieces, and that was if they decided to kill her quickly. She would fight back of course but she had no chance against so many. 

If the water was as deep as she thought it was then she would maybe survive with a fractured leg or two, maybe a break. The fall would likely not be what killed her anyway.

It was the Shigyo that would.

If it came down to it she would rather throw herself over the railing to the Shigyo instead of being at the mercy of the haunted. Hopefully it would be fast when it devoured her whole. 

Kidman closed her eyes as another heavy blow struck the door. 

This would not be like when she was trapped in the water tank. There would be no knight missing his trench coat riding in to save her this time.   
Kidman once more felt the deep gnawing regret for not being honest with Sebastian and Joseph. If the two men were not already dead, she sincerely hoped they were not, she was going to try to tell them everything. It would be quite a story. 

"Kidman! Hold on!" 

That voice... no, it could not be possible could it? 

Kidman brought her gaze back up, opening her eyes, she saw something that was beyond her wildest dreams. 

Sebastian was across the street on an opposing fire escape just slightly below her level. He looked just as she had last seen him just before they were last separated. 

Kidman released a breath she did not realize she was holding when she saw that Sebastian was not visibly injured in any way. 

"Help! There's too many of them!" Kidman was honestly surprised her voice did not break as she spoke the words. 

Sebastian motioned for her to hold on as he cocked his customary shotgun and began to descend the fire escape he was on. 

Kidman did not get a chance to warn him about the Shigyo hiding in the water. 

To her own surprise the report of a rifle from the street below actually startled her. Kidman felt her heart sinking. 

Sebastian was not carrying a rifle. 

Kidman took in heavy breaths as she prayed Sebastian was not hurt. 

Her answer came a few seconds later when a pistol shot rang out followed by the sound of a haunted howling in pain, then there was a splash, followed by a second splash. 

Kidman found herself really wishing she could see the street below. 

The woman was unsure how long she stood there holding the door shut. It felt like hours, she had no way of knowing if Sebastian was even still alive down there. Perhaps the Shigyo had managed to get him after all, or maybe the rifle shot hit him and his last act was to kill the haunted who shot him. The splashes could have been both man and haunted falling into the water. 

Kidman's thoughts were racing with possibilities so much that she did not notice the loud beeping. 

From the other side of the door. 

It was a sound she recognized from the last time she saw Sebastian and Joseph. She knew exactly what was coming next when the explosion hit. Thanks to the shut door, the blast completely missed her. 

A moment later she noticed the arms were reaching through the gaps in the shattered windows anymore. Something had drawn the haunted off.   
Kidman could hear the sounds of growls and gunshots from the other room. Whatever was happening in there, someone was kicking ass if the sound was any indication. 

Then came the silence for a few moments.

"Kidman, it's me," Sebastian's voice broke the lingering silence. 

Without hesitation Kidman opened the door to the image of carnage all over the room. Blood was splattered over many places, several headless haunted with those patches of blood, as well as a few piles of ash. 

Sebastian himself did not seem to have a scratch on him. 

"If you hadn't come along..." Kidman was not able to finish her sentence, she was afraid of her voice betraying her. She was just so relieved he came when he did. 

"Save it for later. There are probably more of them around..." Kidman could hear the relief in his voice. The man was just glad she was still alive. 

Sebastian's eyes scanned her form quickly. Were it any other man, Kidman would accuse them of checking her out, she knew Sebastian better than that though. He was searching her for visible injuries. Naturally after a couple of seconds his eyes locked onto her shoulder wound. Kidman had not had neither the time, nor the materials to patch herself up. 

Sebastian however would not berate her for not taking care of herself. Instead, knowing him, he would tell her to sit down while he bandaged her up.   
In fact he was probably one hair away from saying just that when there was a heavy knock off to the side in the direction of the double doors she had seen earlier. After another blow, the door was pushed open with three more haunted coming through. 

The haunted in the front lifted his arm and hurled a small hand axe toward the detectives.

Toward Sebastian. 

"Look out!" Kidman snatched onto his arm and pulled him off to the side. The thrown missile missing by mere inches. After dodging the axe the pair moved over to the side to duck behind a bank of file cabinets. 

Kidman dropped the first with a shot to the head, making it explode in a splattering of blood and bone fragments. Both of the other two haunted were hit by the same shotgun blast from Sebastian. While the two hostiles were on the ground, Sebastian pulled a match from his pocket and threw it at them after lighting it. The two instantly went up like a bonfire for a few seconds until only ashes were left. 

Sebastian nodded to her as he cocked the shotgun and held it aloft as he went toward the door the haunted came from. Kidman following closely behind. 

This time, it was Sebastian who saw the threat first. Before Kidman even had a chance to think Sebastian shoved her off to the side before moving to the opposite side. 

This was a blink of an eye before a short burst of an automatic rifle fire flew past, right where they had been standing seconds before. 

Kidman had managed to only catch a brief glimpse of their adversary. It was another one of the armored SWAT team haunted. Body armor and an automatic rifle were a potent combination. 

Before Kidman could begin to formulate a plan of attack, Sebastian was already acting. He leaned out and quickly fired a shotgun blast toward the armored haunted. The pellets were not strong enough to punch through but did force the monster back a step or two. 

Using the opening, Kidman leaned out and fired two more shots to knock it back again. This time, while it was stumbling Sebastian rushed forward and vaulted over the impromptu cover the haunted had been using. The haunted SWAT did not even have a chance to react before Sebastian pounced onto it and plunged his knife straight into its eye socket. 

Tearing the blade free, Sebastian motioned to Kidman it was all clear. 

With pistol held aloft, Kidman advanced toward into the room. Sebastian was already off to the side hitting the elevator buttons to see if they worked at all, which of course they did not. This left just the stairs. 

They descended the steps slowly, Sebastian leading with Kidman close behind.

"I'm so glad you're alright." The relief in Sebastian voice was quite evident. "Ever since the church I..."

"You were at the church?" Kidman had not meant to interrupt him so rudely but the words were already coming out the moment he mentioned the church. Leslie had been with her back at the church but she got separated from the pretty quickly. She had not seen Sebastian there, maybe he had seen her from a ways away. If he had been close at all he would have yelled for her like he did when she saw her in trouble a short while ago. 

"Yeah. Joseph and I. He's in bad shape, or at least he was when I last saw him." The thought of not knowing how Joseph was doing was eating away at Sebastian. This was obvious to Kidman. It was very similar to the feeling in the pit of her stomach. Joseph just had to be alright, he had to.

There was something Kidman needed to know though.

"What about the boy from the hospital, Leslie?"

"I found him in a cage. He freaked and ran though." Sebastian spoke as he led them down a hall and out a large hole in the wall to a small catwalk.

Looking over the ledge, Kidman could plainly see a massive crater in what used to be a parking lot for one of the nearby factories. 

At least for now Leslie was still out of Ruvik's hands. One way or another though she needed to find the boy, before Ruvik did. If Ruvik got to him first... the consequences could be catastrophic. 

Making their way down another set of stairs, the duo found themselves on a ruined street. The only way forward was a metal door on the opposite side that led to some kind of alleyway. Sebastian moved over to the door, wasting no time, brought his foot up and kicked it open. 

"I think we've all been seeing strange things." As Sebastian spoke he led the way through the now opened door. "Have you been having any nosebleeds? Headaches?" There was that worried and protective tone again.

"No... why?" It was the truth, the symptoms that had been affecting Sebastian and the others, such as the ringing noises, were having zero effect on her. Sebastian must still not know what was going on, at least not entirely. Otherwise he would have figured out by now why she was unaffected. 

"Joseph was... it's like he was turning into one of those... things." The horror in his voice was the same feeling that Kidman was now having. Joseph was turning into a haunted? The idea was just plain horrifying. 

"Maybe it doesn't affect everybody...?" Kidman proposed, maybe it was true though. Sebastian did not seem to be having the same symptoms as Joseph. The older detective thus far seemed to have only been getting the headaches and ringing noises. At least that was what Kidman hoped. 

Kidman could not help the feeling they were being funneled along a pathway like rats. There was always just one direction to go, never ways around or alternate routes. It almost made her feel like they were in some horror movie or video game or something. Unless being plugged into the STEM system was like a video game, the idea was downright preposterous. 

Traveling down the alley, the way again was in a single direction, into a nearby office for one of the factories. Looked like it was one for mannequins, nothing creepy about that at all. 

Sebastian as always led the way and opened the door to secure the room, Kidman following a step behind. While he covered the forward, she turned left to secure the left side of the room. 

Nothing at all to be seen. 

Kidman breathed a soft sigh of relief as she looked around. The room was completely clear, was somewhat securable. They would be safe here, it seemed Kidman finally got her wish. 

A safe place for her and Sebastian to stop, rest, and finally get everything out in the open. 

Kidman had opened her mouth to call out to Sebastian when the man in question suddenly cried out holding his head in his hands. He groaned loudly as he turned to face away from her. 

This was a lot like when they were all last separated. Sebastian and Joseph had been hit by a sudden headache and a ringing noise that Kidman was spared from. They had been scattered moments after that. 

Wanting to avoid a similar fate, Kidman was about to rush over to Sebastian when he turned slightly toward her. 

The first red flag was the inhuman growl he let out. 

"Sebastian, what is..." Kidman froze midsentence. 

The second red flag was the blisters and red veins forming all over his skin and face. 

"No no no no..." Kidman mumbled under her breath in sheer terror. Not Sebastian, anyone but him. The man could survive anything. Surely he could fight this?

"Stay back!" Sebastian's voice was so pained, it hit Kidman in the chest like a freight train. 

Kidman gripped her gun tightly but she could not bring herself to point it at Sebastian. Every part of her rational mind told screamed for her to point it at him and fire. That this was not Sebastian anymore, it was a haunted that was going to try to kill her. 

She could not do it. 

Instead, Kidman dashed for the nearby door as Sebastian let out an animalistic snarl. The door however was locked, she could not get it open. Turning around she pressed her back to the metal of the door. 

She instantly wished she had not looked. 

Kidman could see in his eyes that the monster in front of her was not Sebastian anymore. The pain of seeing Sebastian like this hurt far more than the pain of him brutally killing her would be. 

The haunted's hands were up as it charged her. Time seemed to slow down with each step the creature took toward her. 

On pure reflex, Kidman raised her weapon. A single shot to the head, that was all it would take. A single bullet and the beast would be put down.

She would be spared from the soon to follow death. 

All she had to do was squeeze the trigger. 

A single twitch of the muscles in her finger would be enough. 

It was not until the haunted Sebastian was right on top of her that she fired, she did not want to. In fact for a few seconds she did not even realize the gun had gone off. Even the noise was completely unheard. 

It was the heavy thud of Sebastian's body hitting the floor that roused Kidman from her stupor. 

"Sebastian!" Kidman quickly rushed down to the fallen detective's side. Her bullet had hit Sebastian in the side, blood was already running from the wound. She instantly began to apply pressure to slow the bleeding. 

When she did, she instantly noticed he looked back to normal. The red veins, blisters, and blue eyes were all gone. He was back to being a human again. 

Kidman looked around the room, frantically searching for anything she could use. A nearby first aid kit seemed like the answer to her prayers. Kidman let go of the wound and rushed for the kit, returning in record time. 

Once she moved Sebastian's shirt, the female detective went to work cleaning and bandaging the wound she had inflicted. 

Kidman had done some things in life she regretted, just every other person in the world. Shooting Sebastian... that ranked up there with the highest. Even if he was turning into a monster ready to attack her, it was still him, somewhere in there. 

Now that he looked normal again, she hoped he would wake up soon and be fine. Kidman knew that was a childish hope... if he had turned once he could do it again. The risk to her mission was too great. 

He would at least be safe in here until he awoke. When he did, she would be long gone. As much as Kidman hated being separated from him again, she knew it had to be this way. 

After making one last check to make sure he was not bleeding, Kidman slowly rose to her feet. Taking two steps toward the door she looked over her shoulder at Sebastian one last time before leaving the room.

She had just closed the door when she heard movement in the room she just left. Had one of the creatures found a way in? 

Kidman turned her head so fast she felt like she almost got whiplash. To her surprise it was not a haunted that made the noise. 

Sebastian was already waking up. 

Kidman knew he was strong but she did not expect him up that quick. 

The man grumbled something under his breath as he slowly stood to his feet. His eyes focused on her swiftly, his gaze first held worry, then confusion. "Did you shoot me..." Kidman knew his words held no reprimand, no anger. Merely a simple question of what she had done.

"You started turning into a monster. You attacked me." Kidman's words were true, Sebastian had to of known what happened. He just wanted to make sure he had not been hallucinating it. 

The look of horror on his face said it all. 

"I'm sorry but you're tainted now. He might try to stop me through you." This was true too, as much as she wanted, needed, Sebastian with her, she had to go on her own now. She could not risk her mission for something like this. 

Once more, she had spoken more about their current situation than Sebastian knew before she could stop herself. 

Kidman turned to leave. She had to get away now before she lost all of her self control. This man tended to have that kind of effect on her recently.

"Wait! What are you talking about..." Sebastian's words faded fast because as soon as she took a few steps out of sight of the door's window, she broke into a full sprint. 

It was not until she was a little ways down the hall that the reality of what she did set in. She had shot Sebastian. She felt like she was about to vomit.

She had to get away, she did not want Sebastian to see the single tear that ran down her cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does anyone else think that Kidman would not have just shot Sebastian and watched him bleed through a door window? I thought in the game Sebastian was moving quite well for someone who just took a bullet. Kidman had to of patched him up. 
> 
> For that matter, I also felt like it was a sucker punch from the game creators to separate Sebastian and Kidman the way they did. Not a single time after this is Sebastian's temporary being a haunted mentioned except an offhand comment with Joseph. 
> 
> Some comments would be greatly appreciated, it would make me want to write these out a bit faster. 
> 
> Anyway, next round: The Ride


	3. The Ride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 12 through the eyes of Kidman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To Beckon- you said this was one of your favorite chapters. Hopefully this does not disappoint.
> 
> Know what one of the hardest things about writing fanfiction is? When it seems like no one is reading your stories, kinda makes the time spent feel like a waste. 
> 
> Also on a more personal note- I recently beat the game on the Akumu mode... Holy crap, man was not meant to endure such a thing. 
> 
> Now without further ado...
> 
> Enjoy.

Luck was a funny thing. One moment it was your best friend, the next your worst nightmare. This was more like the latter. 

Kidman again found herself running as fast as she possible could. That large creature, Heresy, was right behind her. Thankfully she had managed to snatch the keys for the bus before it started chasing her. She would have preferred a smaller, faster vehicle, but beggars could not be choosers. It certainly would beat the hell out of running and being eaten alive. 

"Shit!" Kidman almost tripped as she ran up the stairs of the bus in her haste. Thankfully instead of falling on her face, she fell perfectly into the driver's seat. Shoving the keys into the ignition, she tried to start the large vehicle. 

"What are you doing?!"

It was not until she heard the shout behind her that she noticed she was not alone on the bus. 

Sebastian and Joseph were already onboard before she was.

Were this any other time she would be feeling that same horrible sinking, feeling in her stomach being around Sebastian after having shot him, but the massive creature bursting out of the ground where the bus had been moments before put a hold on that feeling rather quickly. 

"Answer me Kid..." Sebastian had his sentence cut off when Kidman slammed her foot on the gas. The two male detectives were shoved off their feet by the sudden movement. 

Long spider-like limbs broke through the surface of the ground like spikes. Kidman had managed to drive the bus onto the road before the thing had a chance to grab them. 

Kidman look in the mirror over her shoulder just in time to se Heresy rip itself from the ground and to begin to give chase. 

She did not know that Sebastian and Joseph were on the bus when she snatched the keys. It was simply the first available vehicle. Now that they were moving though, she was infinitely grateful that they were there. Otherwise they would have been left on foot back at the garage with Heresy. 

Kidman had accidentally pulled the two men out of danger. 

Unfortunately, even on the surface rather than beneath it, Heresy was still abnormally fast despite its size. The thing caught up with them after less than a minute. 

The long limbs broke through the roof of the bus, Sebastian and Joseph barely managing to dodge the appendages. With a mighty pull, Heresy ripped most of the roof, except for the front portion over the driver's seat where Kidman was, free and tossed it away like a piece of paper trash.  
Kidman gasped out quietly. "Oh no."

Kidman was in the driver seat, her foot stomping on the gas. The bus did not move though, it was being held in place by Heresy. The moment the thing let go they had to get out of here fast. Since she was in the driver seat that left Sebastian and Joseph to deal with Heresy before it killed all three of them. 

Sebastian stepped forward, his entire posture screaming with defiance. "Damned if I'm going to die here." 

Her seat was thankfully out of reach of Heresy's long legs but she was still worried about the other two detectives. If Heresy wanted to get to her or Joseph it was going to have one hell of a fight trying to get through Sebastian. 

That was if Sebastian still wanted to protect her... she did shoot him after all. There was no way he still had the same attitude toward her. This was more than likely just him protecting himself and Joseph. 

For some reason the thought of Sebastian treating her differently had a painful feeling in the pit of Kidman's stomach. 

The female detective looked into the mirror just in time to see a huge leg swipe from the side.

Straight towards Sebastian. 

The older detective did not see it coming. 

"Watch out! Right!" Just then someone screamed. It took Kidman a few heartbeats to realize the scream was hers. 

Sebastian saw the attack coming a second too late. He attempted to dodge but was still caught by a grazing blow and thrown to the floor of the bus. Joseph moved to help him but had to dive aside to avoid another attack. 

Kidman was already half out of her seat the moment Sebastian hit the ground. She only made it two steps when Sebastian lifted that strange crossbow of his up toward Heresy. The shot he fired struck the hulking monster in the dead center of its twisted face. The bolt began beeping loudly on impact. It was a sound Kidman recognized back from when she was in the water tank. 

The projectile exploded with enough force to knock Heresy back and off of the bus. 

"Go, go, go!" Someone was yelling to her. 

Kidman was already back in the seat, her foot slamming down on the gas. Heresy instantly gave chase but this time they were able to gain some speed to keep ahead of the creature. 

Unfortunately it was still extremely fast, it was already catching up to them. If they did not do something soon it would grab onto the bus again. They would be back to square one. 

"Turn there!" Sebastian yelled as he pointed to a nearby alley. 

Kidman did not speak a word, instead she veered the bus in a heavy right turn into the alley. 

Heresy might be fast, but it was incapable of making sharp turns moving at its current speed. When the bus turned the creature was still running toward them, it tried to make the same turn but instead it skid across the ground and slammed into a nearby building hard. 

Kidman saw their mistake the moment the bus pulled into the alley. It was a dead end, on one side they had Heresy outside while the other was blocked by a wrecked tanker truck. It was too large to crash the bus through, that is if they were lucky enough for the tanker to be empty. It would be insane if they survived Heresy and everything so far just to die because they crashed into a tanker full of fuel. 

Kidman hoped, but highly doubted, Heresy was killed on impact. At the very least it was injured, if it came around the corner they would be in serious trouble. 

Sebastian and Joseph held their weapons trained on where they came from but thankfully Heresy was nowhere in sight. They lost it or it was dead, Kidman was happy with either outcome. 

"I don't know how long we'll be safe here..." Kidman slumped back in the seat. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest. That was way too close of a call. 

In an attempt to calm herself down, Kidman stood up and stepped away from the driver's seat. Taking a look around she got a better look at the alleyway. What she saw unnerved her, this was a perfect spot for an ambush...

She caught sight of the falling crate slightly too late. It would have struck her in the head if Sebastian had not grabbed her arm and pulled her aside at the last moment. 

Perhaps his attitude toward her was not as changed as she thought. 

"Now what?" Sebastian groaned as he cocked his shotgun. 

The trio looked at the same spot when a growl was heard. A haunted had stepped up to the ledge above them. A molotov cocktail in hand. 

The haunted never got a chance to throw the weapons before Kidman lifted her gun and fired. The bullet hit the glass bottle, making it explode and douse the holder in flames just as another haunted came up behind it. Both went up like a bonfire. 

For the next several minutes more haunted came to the ledge. Between the three of them, the creatures were easily dispatched. 

"Sebastian, they're above us!" Joseph motioned to the other ledge directly above them. More had arrived from a different direction. Kidman saw many of these were carrying rifles, both bolt actions and automatics. 

"Get to cover! They're shooting from above." Joseph called out after the first bullet missed him by a mere foot. If one of them were to be shot by a rifle it would cause some serious problems. 

Kidman saw more coming from the initial direction. "Enemy to the right!" 

"There's too many!" Kidman screamed. They were being swarmed from all sides, if this kept up much longer they were going to be out of ammunition and at the haunted's mercy. 

"Don't get rattled." Sebastian reassured both of them as another haunted tried to board the bus from the side directly behind Kidman. The monster attempted to grab her but never got the chance. Before it was even within reach, Sebastian struck with a vicious left hook. 

Kidman could hear the sound of bones breaking on impact. She sincerely hoped it was not Sebastian's hand she heard. 

Kidman dove to the front of the bus to dodge another shot. When she returned to her feet she saw more coming from the front of the bus on ground level. "Enemy up front!"

"Leave these ones to me." Joseph was already moving to the front and opening fire. 

The first haunted he hit dropped its lit stick of dynamite. The small stick rolled away from the haunted right below the wrecked tanker. In the blink of an eye it exploded, setting off the tanker as well. Just as Kidman had suspected, it was full of something. The resulting explosion blew the entire way open. 

Giving them an opening to move on. 

The moment the way was clear, Kidman was back in the seat with her foot on the gas. 

She breathed a soft sigh of relief as she pulled them back onto the road. 

"That was a close one." Joseph's one comment summed up what had to be the thoughts of everyone there. 

Joseph went to stand behind her, his hand on the back of Kidman's seat. "Keep us to the left up here."

The Asian detective was a little closer to her than she would have expected him to be. Did he not know she shot Sebastian? Why was he not avoiding her like the plague?

To her grand surprise, Sebastian moved up directly behind her seat and was looking forward over her shoulder. She could see the older detective in the bus mirror. 

He was standing beside her as if nothing had ever happened. 

As if she had never shot him. 

The blood on the side of his shirt, with the bandage she could barely see under the garment, said otherwise.

Maybe he did understand that not only did she not want to shoot him, she had not intended to. She had acted on reflex when he briefly became a haunted. 

So far both men had brief time as a haunted but seemed no worse for the wear. Joseph occasionally coughed heavily, he did his best to hide the blood but she could still see it. Sebastian had thus far seemed completely unaffected by the brief transformation. His willpower might be strong enough to resist the change again. 

A very familiar and most unwelcome noise startled all three of the detectives. They did not even have a chance to react before Heresy dropped down from a building above, landing directly on the back of their bus. 

Once again they were locked in place with the bulk of Heresy's form holding them down. 

Just like before, Sebastian and Joseph engaged while Kidman tried to get the bus free. Also like earlier it was stuck fast. At this point she would settle for ramming the bastard and splattering him all across the road if she could. 

Eventually, the beast recoiled again and was pushed back. 

"Get this thing moving!" Sebastian yelled but Kidman's foot had already floored the gas pedal before he got the words out. 

Kidman tried to keep them ahead of the creature but it was closing faster than a gazelle in an open field.

Forcing the bus into a sharp turn, Kidman tried to get some distance on the thing. In the process, Sebastian was thrown to the floor of the bus. 

Heresy managed to get close enough to grab onto the bus but this time he did not make it on all the way. They were still able to move but were slowing down. 

Heresy lifted a huge leg and was ready to crush Sebastian. 

Kidman looked all over the road searching for something to use. A nearby tunnel proved to be exactly what she needed. 

Just as Heresy lifted the leg, Kidman stomped as hard as she could on the pedal toward the tunnel. She was not about to let that thing get Sebastian.

Not while she was still alive. 

The massive beast never got to bring its leg down. Kidman drove the bus into the tunnel while Heresy was still clinging to the back. It had been so distracted by the closeness of its kill that it failed to see the danger. 

The bus easily passed into the tunnel but Heresy was not so fortunate. 

The top of the tunnel killed Heresy on impact. Its remains splattering all over the pavement. Kidman smiled slightly to herself. Wishes did come true it seemed. She both killed it and saved Sebastian. 

Driving out of the tunnel, Kidman looked all over the road. For now it seemed they were out of the woods. Baring a surprise gunshot from a sniper, there was really nothing else they had left to worry about at the moment.

"Where are we heading, Joseph?" Sebastian had moved over to one of the seats and sat down with a soft thud. 

Kidman wondered for a brief moment why he did not ask her that question but she figured it out pretty fast. She was not trustworthy, she shot him and by now he had to have figured out she was keeping information from him. 

"I've got a theory." Joseph began. "We seem to be moved around an awful lot. Almost as if by someone's will." 

Kidman rolled her eyes slightly at that. Ruvik had been using them like human pieces in a monopoly game this entire time. 

"So it's nearly imposable to get any sense of the geography around here but the light, Beacon Mental Hospital, it's always in the distance." 

In the mirror, Kidman saw Joseph fumbling with his journal. "This thing you found me hooked up to." He now held the book out for Sebastian to see. "I've seen it in more than one place."

"Yeah... so have I. It seems like it's the same exact one but it's hard to be sure." 

They were talking about the STEM terminals. Kidman was sure of it. 

"The thing that I've noticed is that each time I run across one, I seem to be closer to the lighthouse. It could be a coincidence but like I said it seems there is some intelligence behind it."

"So you figure we ought to cut to the chase and just head straight for the hospital?" Sebastian seemed to think that was the right idea. That was where the main STEM hub was. 

"Exactly." Joseph responded. 

"Nice work detective," Sebastian praised Joseph. 

"The right side looked like it lead more directly toward the hospital." Joseph stood and moved over to her seat again. 

A second later a loud shot rang out. 

Followed by a cry of pain behind her. 

Kidman's head turned so fast that she almost lost control of the bus. She needed to see that Sebastian was alright. 

"Joseph! NO!" Sebastian was at the Asian man's side instantly. 

Kidman was about to say something but the older man must have read her mind.

"Just get us out of here!" Sebastian called out, one of his hands on Joseph's side where he had been hit. 

Kidman caught the flashing lights from the corner of her eye. 

"There's an ambulance there." Kidman pointed across the road over several wrecked cars where the familiar red and white vehicle sat.  
Kidman pulled the bus to a stop. "There might be some kind of first aid."

She was already out of her seat the moment the bus stopped. "I'll go." Kidman had already moved to draw her gun, reaching for the device to open the door with her other hand. 

"No, I'll do it. Don't let any of them onboard." Sebastian was already off the bus before she could say a word in protest. That was just like Sebastian, anything to protect his partners he would do himself. There would be no swaying him even if she had caught up to him. 

Sebastian instantly began to duck and weave between the cars in his path. Kidman could see multiple haunted skulking among the wreckage. 

Sebastian knew what he was doing though, he was already partway through. Several haunted dead in his wake before they were even aware of him.  
Kidman kneeled down beside Joseph to apply pressure to his side. This would be the second time in a little over in an hour that she had one of her partner's blood on her hands. The feel of the warm, sticky fluid in her hands was not as sickening to her this time since she was not responsible. 

"Seb...?" Joseph's voice was quiet, weak, and filled with agony. The bullet had hit close to his stomach, one of the worst places to get hit. It Sebastian did not hurry, they were going to lose him. 

"It's me, Kidman. Sebastian will be right back. He went to check out an ambulance." Kidman reassured her partner. Last thing he needed was thinking Sebastian was dead or something. 

Joseph groaned. "Let me guess... army of those freaks between him and it?" 

Joseph was extremely worried, Kidman could sense it in the way he spoke. The man was more concerned about Sebastian than he was himself. Kidman sighed, that was Joseph and Sebastian for you. 

The injured man was laying on his side in the bus seat, while Kidman sat on the floor of the bus. This way the haunted could not see them just by looking at the bus. 

Out of nowhere, Kidman heard the sound of another engine. She risked a look up but instantly ducked back down cursing loudly. 

"W...what is it?" Joseph hissed out. 

The loud crackle of a machine gun rang out before she could answer. 

Kidman took another look. The jeep that drove by now had its back facing them so they were out of its line of sight. That was not the problem, the real issue was where the gun was shooting. 

Right in the direction Sebastian had gone. 

Kidman had no clue how the hell he was supposed to get around this thing. It was too heavily armored to shoot the gunner or to blow up the vehicle itself. They would need a rocket launcher or something to do so. 

While Kidman was trying to figure out how Sebastian would get through, the man in question made his move. Kidman expected him to do some smart or crafty plan, maybe he found something while he was making his way to the ambulance. Instead, Sebastian used quite possibly the simplest and most insane plan she had ever seen.

Sebastian charged the machinegun like a raging bull.

Kidman's eyes shot open in alarm. The man was going to get himself killed!

Somehow, Sebastian actually made it to the jeep. Since the gun could not be turned toward him, the gunner got off and tried to light a stick of dynamite. A single shotgun blast from Sebastian put an end to that attempt. Without breaking stride, Sebastian jumped on top of a wrecked car beside the jeep. Then dived onto the bed of the jeep. 

The haunted who surrounded the jeep never even knew what hit them when Sebastian turned the gun on them. They were shredded into hamburger within moments. Sebastian continued firing the heavy gun into the horde that had appeared from the side. When they were dead, he then opened fire into the cars that the jeep had knocked into his way when it arrived.

As soon as the way was clear, Sebastian was running toward the bus at full sprint. 

Kidman could only watch in amazement. This man was unbelievable, was there anything that could really stop him when he fought for one of his partners?

Kidman opened the door when he got close. He was immediately on his knees beside Joseph applying whatever it was he found while Kidman closed the door and climbed back into the driver's seat. 

"Shit!" Sebastian growled out behind her. Kidman turned to see many more haunted coming toward the bus. "Let's get out of here fast."

Kidman did not need to be told twice. "I'm going to push through!" 

Stomping on the gas again, Kidman plowed through several parked cars in her path. "It's going to get a little rough!" More haunted appeared on the road ahead of her. Not wanting to damage their only ride further or to hurt Joseph any worse than he already was, she ducked left and right to dodge them. 

As Kidman sped down the road, a solitary figure dressed in white appeared in their path. Kidman knew what the figure was. She knew that it would be imposable, but the chance to squash like a bug the bastard responsible for all of this was too tempting. 

Before she could even get close, the bus began to lift from the ground. It continued moving though no matter how much she pushed on the gas. Now they were completely in the air. 

The bus sailed harmlessly passed Ruvik and crashed into a nearby apartment building. Shortly after impact, Sebastian and Joseph were thrown off. Kidman managed to cling to the driver's seat. 

When the bus skidded to a stop, it was hanging over the edge of the apartment building. The vehicle was barely hanging on. 

Scrambling out of the seat, Kidman moved to the edge of the bus before it could fall. Luck was on her side, she managed to get out the door and fell onto a nearby fire escape. Somehow the bus still stayed in position. 

Kidman breathed a soft sigh of relief as she looked around. The only way to go was down, the ways back into the building from this particular fire escape were all sealed shut. She would have to go from ground level up to find the other two. 

Pulling her gun from its holster, Kidman began the descent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, hopefully you all liked it. Now I have ideas for two more chapters but as you all know, the other two Kidman scenes do not correspond to the title very well. If you all want to read them anyway, I'll write them. Either way, let me know what you all think.


	4. Casualties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The playground scene from chapter 13.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters left of this story. The next two don't exactly match with the title but they are the other two Kidman and Sebastian scenes in the game. Since they are cutscene based instead of a chapter or full event (like the water tank), they will likely not be anywhere near as long. 
> 
> My apologies. 
> 
> Enjoy.

After everything, after fighting through hordes of monsters and fields of diabolical traps, she had finnally done it.   
She found him. 

Kidman led the young albino boy down the sidewalk, holding him by the hand. Both to ensure she did not lose him again and to reassure Leslie. He seemed relaxed with her touch. 

Kidman bit her lip softly as she risked a look at him. He was smiling broadly, just like a young child would if they were holding their mothers hand walking down the road. 

The kind of child Kidman never got to be. 

The young woman did not remember much of her past but she did know that she was never like Leslie was feeling now. She did not have a childhood to look back on. 

Before her thoughts could drift further, Leslie let go of her hand. Kidman's eyes instantly snapped up to look at the boy. He was smiling again as he moved onto the playground with her at the entrance. 

The nearby equipment creaked as it moved slightly. The entire area giving off a peaceful and serene aura. This entire moment felt like something out of a movie. Kidman was the mother-like figure and Leslie was the little child who got to enjoy a playground while his 'mother' watched over him to keep him safe. The child would feel completely secure and safe with his mother there. 

The very thought filled Kidman with disgust, not at the thought itself though. Instead she was disgusted with herself for what she still had to do.   
"Leslie can go home? Can take the train all the way home?" Leslie spoke softly, his voice hopeful. 

"No Leslie, not today." Kidman responded softly, her voice barely holding together. 

"You'll protect me?" The albino boy looked over at her as he said the words. The look in his eyes was so warm and trusting. 

"Yes, that's my job." Kidman kept her voice steady and even as best she could. The woman even threw in a tiny smile for him, forced though it was. Kidman was unsure if she was capable of a real smile at the moment. 

"Good, good, good." Leslie turned around again and moved over to the playground again. 

"When I get home they'll be... surprised." 

Leslie then stopped in place and began mumbling something. All around Kidman she saw everything freeze in place.  
It was time.

"It's not your fault, I'm sorry." Kidman's voice broke this time as she slowly raised her gun to Leslie's back. 

Kidman was so sick to her stomach she felt like she would vomit any moment now. She needed to end this as quickly as possible. For all of their sakes, even Sebastian and Joseph. 

At least Leslie would finally know some peace. 

One bullet.

That was all it would take to end this nightmare. 

Kidman was thankful that the other two were not here to see this. They would not understand but that was not why Kidman wanted them elsewhere. Even if they did understand, she did not want them to see what she had to do. Kidman could take the sickening feeling that was going to come with killing the defenseless Leslie. What Kidman was afraid of was her partners knowing she had done it. 

The look that would surely be on Sebastian's face would be more painful to see than the bullet she was about to fire. 

A single tear slowly fell down Kidman's cheek as she prepared to pull the hammer back and squeeze the trigger. 

"Stop."

Kidman never realized how a single word could hold so much power. Kidman instantly found herself panicking internally, on the outside she did not show it whatsoever. 

"You don't understand. You don't know what he'll become." Kidman spoke, keeping her tone firm, in an attempt to keep herself together.   
Her body remained frozen place knowing his gun was on her.

"I do, I've seen it." Sebastian responded. The man probably thought Kidman was talking about the haunted. No, this was something else not related to the haunted. 

"You don't understand what Ruvik is after." Kidman hoped she was finally having a chance to explain things to the older detective. If only Joseph were here, then again, they could explain it to him later. 

"So tell me. What is he after?" Sebastian questioned. Kidman caught the slight hesitation in his response. Her back was still facing him so she could not see his face but something was off. 

Kidman needed to finish this quickly before something happened. She could not afford to lose Leslie again. "He's after Leslie."

Kidman pulled the hammer back on her pistol. 

"What, he needs to finish his science project?" Sebastian's voice had that same dry sarcasm that constituted his humor. Were this any other situation, Kidman would not have minded it one bit. 

"Don't patronize me. I have orders. I can't let him have this boy." Kidman once again said more than she had intended to. It was time to come clean anyway. 

Kidman turned her head just slightly away from Leslie so she could at least look at Sebastian out of the corner of her eye. "Leslie is the only one he can..." 

Kidman never got to finish the words. 

The hesitation she caught in Sebastian's voice must have been him noticing or signaling to Joseph. In that moment the Asian detective rushed forth from his cover toward Leslie. Just before he reached him, the albino boy let out a high pitch wail. All around them the ground shook, glass shattered.   
Kidman managed to keep her footing but when she looked up, it was just in time to see Leslie attempting to flee. 

She could not allow that. 

She lifted her gun and fired but the ground was shaking too much, the bullet veered wide in the wrong direction.   
Kidman fired a second shot, only to realize in utter horror her mistake. 

"Don't do it!" Joseph screamed as he dove in front of her path. The second bullet striking him. Kidman was unsure where but she knew it was a hit when she saw the blood splatter from the wound. 

The shaking ground did not relent for a moment. To make matters worse, Leslie was getting away. . 

At the same time, she badly wanted to stop and help Joseph. It was slowly sinking in what she had just done. It was an accident, that fact did not make it sting any less however. If it was not for the fact that Leslie was escaping, Kidman knew she would be throwing up. 

If Kidman did not get Leslie then they were all going to be dead anyway. Besides, Sebastian would take better care of Joseph than she could. 

Thinking Joseph would be safe in Sebastian's hands, Kidman took off to give chase to the fleeing albino.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really sure about this one, I hate doing ones this short but the cutscene itself was not that long.   
> Next chapter will be the finale. You all know which scene it will be. This story is going to come full circle and end where it began. Think like He Stood for Me's first chapter in reverse. 
> 
> I'm hoping to post the final part tomorrow. I literally have several days free so I am going to attempt to finish several stories so I could start some new ones I thought of. One maybe being an Evil Within one-shot. Then again most of my Evil Within stories except this one don't get that many views. I suppose I don't write what most of the fanbase prefers. 
> 
> To those who have been reading and especially those who have reviewed I have a bonus nod to all of you. It is you that makes writing have any meaning. I just wanted to thank all of you.


	5. An Evil Within

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The finale and beyond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The finale of He Stood for Me. 
> 
> Enjoy.

"Help... Help!" Leslie screamed as he fled from Kidman. 

Kidman herself followed him running as fast as she could. The detective tried to take aim at the boy but he was too fast. He turned a sharp left through a doorway. 

Not about to let him get away, she followed him through the door into a large circular room. She recognized it instantly, this was the STEM world version of the STEM hub they were all connected to in the real world. Beneath the glass floor, they all rested in the same tubs. Kidman herself, Sebastian, Joseph, and more.

Were she not aware of what was really happening she would be unnerved at the sight below. Instead she was focused on something else instead. 

Sebastian pointing his gun at her again. 

Leslie had run behind the Hispanic man and was hiding behind him. 

Sebastian himself stood resolute just like he would were it Joseph or Kidman he were protecting. Kidman felt a small pang in her chest, she knew he would never have that same protectiveness toward her, even if she had not shot Joseph. There was simply too much she had kept from him. 

Speaking of Joseph, where was he? Surely if Sebastian was here the Asian detective would be right beside him. Kidman contemplated asking about it but there was far more important matters that needed to be dealt with first. 

"Sebastian, get away from him." Kidman pleaded, she did not even raise her gun. She would not shoot Sebastian again. Hopefully he would finally listen to reason and let her end this. She had to finish this, both to save them all from the nightmare and to get Sebastian to safety. Ruvik was still hunting the boy and Sebastian was standing less than a foot away from him. 

The first response from Sebastian answer was the pulling of the hammer back on his revolver. 

"Sebastian, listen to me." Kidman was still trying to get through to Sebastian. "Stop. Your interests are the same as ours."

Sebastian finally spoke. "Look, I get it, you're not just some rookie detective and this is not some ordinary kid."

Kidman let out a very quiet sigh, he did not know as much as he thought. 

"You killed Joseph." Those three words felt like a punch in the stomach to Kidman. She did not kill him, he should have been fine. Sebastian was with him, it would have taken a lot more than another gunshot to the shoulder to kill him on Sebastian's watch. 

Unless... something else happened while she had been chasing Leslie. Now Joseph's blood was on her hands as well. Kidman had to repress the urge to vomit at the thought. Killing Leslie was one thing but Joseph was a whole different ball game. She knew the man, worked right alongside him. The man had protected her just like Sebastian had. He had always been friendly toward her despite her aloof demeanor. 

Now he was dead and it was all her fault. 

"And you shot me." Kidman thought he would have understood that she neither intended to nor wanted to do it, apparently she was mistaken. "So right at this moment that's enough reason for me not to trust you."

Kidman never would have thought that hearing Sebastian say he did not trust her would hurt this badly. 

"You're a good man," Kidman spoke softly. She really meant it, Sebastian and Joseph had always been some of the best people she had ever met. That's why I..."   
What was it Kidman wanted to say? Even she was not entirely sure. 

Kidman let out a soft breath. "Ugh... it doesn't matter anymore. If you know who this kid is, if you know anything, you know why he can't be allowed to live." 

The words were like ash in Kidman's mouth. She again and again told herself that this was what she had to do, she was protecting people, protecting Sebastian. No matter how many times she said the words to herself it did not get any easier. 

"Bullshit. It's Ruvik. He's the one that..." Sebastian's words were cut off as the machine above them whirled to life. The older detective groaned as he clutched his head in pain. Kidman, as always, was completely unaffected. 

She was about to ask if he was alright when the very environment around them shifted. The room they were in vanished and was replaced with a single platform with a huge brain in the middle. All over the floor was some strange clear fluid. The sky and horizon in every direction turned from grey and stormy to a dull and dingy yellow. The storm itself did not go away, lighting and thunder continued to flash above. 

It was not until Leslie began to walk forward that Kidman noticed that there was a fourth person among them. 

Ruvik.

However he was different this time. He was missing his trademark white jacket and hood, allowing Kidman to see his hideously burned body. His head even had a glass plate on the side showing his brain. 

Kidman could see the demented smile on Ruvik's lips as the boy approached him. 

"Leslie, stop!" Sebastian pleaded to Leslie but the boy did not even respond. 

Ruvik reached his arms toward Leslie as if to hug the albino boy. Before Kidman could get her gun up, Ruvik placed his hand on Leslie's head. The boy's body instantly turned into liquid just like what was at their feet. 

"Leslie!" Sebastian cried out but it was far too late. 

The tubes leading up into the large brain bulged and made a sucking noise as it absorbed what was once Leslie. 

Kidman could only watch in absolute horror. All of this, the surviving, the close calls, everything, had been for completely nothing. 

She had failed. 

Suddenly there was a loud scream of many voices at once as the world shifted back to normal. The ground began to shake violently as the room suddenly tilted, sending Sebastian rolling away to crash through a window. 

Before Kidman could yell after him, her world turned black. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kidman would have never thought it was possible. She had convinced herself when Ruvik succeeded in capturing Leslie that it was all over. There was no way they could have been able to stop to resulting monstrosity. 

Once again Sebastian was the one who stood up in defiance. 

After Kidman was pulled from the STEM world she was informed at what happened. Ruvik had taken Leslie but Sebastian had battled the consciousness from the inside despite the size and power of the creature. The older detective did not just fight thought, he fought and won. Sebastian destroyed Ruvik from the inside out. 

It was finally over. 

That was why Kidman stood beside Sebastian's limp body in the tub. She took up this position the moment that she was told there were vital signs. 

Shortly after she had been pulled out, his vitals had spiked sharply. As if he had been suffering heavily violent trauma. 

Considering what he had been up against, she had not been surprised. 

To both her relief and shock, Sebastian's vitals had evened out. 

Now she was standing here monitoring him trying to figure out what to do. He was still alive but if he woke up before they finished packing they would kill him to keep him quiet. There had to be some way to avoid that from happening, if he stayed unconscious he would be fine. 

Kidman's eyebrows shot up when she saw that he was slowing waking up. 

Pushing her panic down deep, Kidman leaned in close as if she was looking at something, which she was. Looking into Sebastian's barely open eyes, Kidman brought a finger to her lips motioning for him to be quiet. For safe measure she made a hand gesture for him to lay low. 

It was the best she could do. 

"Leave that one. And those two. "Kidman spoke to the woman who walked up to her. They're not going anywhere." 

Connelly and Jimenez were both vegetables, having died within the STEM. Sebastian was at least alive, if he stayed quiet he was going to make it. 

It was enough for her. 

"No one can." Kidman spoke softly, giving Sebastian one last look as she turned and left. Her heels clicking loudly on the linoleum. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After everyone left Kidman was sent for one last look around to make sure nothing was left behind. She however, had a different objective in mind.   
Kidman knew there was nothing left, they were quite thorough. So she made a beeline for the man still unconscious in the tub. 

The whole time she was waiting for this moment she had been thinking what she would say, what she would do. Kidman came up with nothing though.   
So she stood there leaning above the detective lying still in the tub, her hands on the sides. 

"Sebastian..." Kidman's voice was a quiet whisper, not because she was afraid of someone hearing but instead she was having trouble keeping herself together. 

Taking in a heavy breath, she continued. "I'm so sorry you got mixed into all this. I didn't mean to shoot Joseph, it was an accident."

Shooting him really had been an accident. He jumped in front of her gun trying to stop her from doing something he thought she would regret, he had no idea how right he had been. If he really wanted to stop her he could have just shot her instead but he did not. He would never have done that to her. 

It cost him his life. 

"There's so much I wish I could say but I don't have long." Kidman continued. "I just wanted to say thank you. For looking after me, for helping me, you've done more for me than anyone else ever has."

Kidman bit her lip hard as her eyes started to well up with unshed tears. She swore to herself she was not going to cry, she intended to keep that oath.   
Kidman was almost out of time, she had to out of here fast enough to not arouse suspicion as to what she was doing. 

"I don't know if you can hear any of this but I honestly hope I see you again. Even if you hate me for what I've done... at least you're going to make it. It's the best I can do."

Leaning down, Kidman pressed a feather light kiss to Sebastian's forehead. 

"Goodbye." Kidman whispered as she turned and left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Personally I don't think this one went very well. I've lost most of my inspiration for writing The Evil Within. I don't really write what most in this fandom wants so I'm glad to see this one finished.

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go. Again people there's like no stories with Kidman and Sebastian in it. A little variety would be nice everyone. Yes, I'm talking to you fanfiction writers reading this. 
> 
> I might continue this but I don't know yet.


End file.
